George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence

George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence (21 October 1449-18 February 1478) was the third surviving son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville, and the brother of English kings Edward IV and Richard III. In 1478, he was convicted of treason against King Edward, and he was executed by being drowned in a butt of Malmsey wine.

Biography
George Plantagenet was born in Dublin Castle, Ireland on 21 October 1449, the third surviving son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville. His father was killed in battle in 1460, and his elder brother became "King Edward IV of England" in 1461. That same year, George was made Duke of Clarence and invested as a Knight of the Garter. Clarence married Isabel Neville, the daughter of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, and he decided to support Warwick in his rebellion against the Yorkist cause. A restored King Henry VI of England rewarded Clarence by making him second-in-line to the throne after his own son, Edward of Westminster. However, he was secretly reconciled with Edward IV after seeing that the Nevilles were motivated solely by self-gain, and Warwick was killed in battle in 1471; Clarence became Earl of Warwick in 1472. His wife Isabel died in 1476.

Downfall
George's jealous brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester decided to frame him for treason, using a soothsayer to sow doubt in the King's mind about his brother. Clarence was arrested and taken to the Tower of London, and Gloucester promised to work towards his release. However, he instead fast-tracked the execution of Clarence and prevented Edward IV's pardon from being implemented. Gloucester sent two executioners to kill Clarence, and they knocked him unconscious in his cell before pushing him into a butt of Malmsey wine, which was then sealed.